Shawn A. Thomas, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Department of Biology

    College of St. Benedict/St. John's University

    Office: Peter Engel 303 (SJU campus)

    Phone: 320.363.3275

    Fax: 320.363.3202

    Email: sthomas@csbsju.edu

    The Temple of Heaven; Beijing, China

Current schedule:

Fall 2007

Spring 2008

Office hours:  Days 1 and 3: 1:30-2:30 p.m. and other times by appointment

Courses taught:

BIOL 114 Introduction to cell biology and genetics

BIOL 121 Cellular life: introduction to cell and molecular biology; Letter to students

BIOL 214 Principles of human anatomy and physiology

Areas of research interest:

My areas of study are animal behavior and sociobiology in which the emphasis is placed on testing theories and generating hypotheses associated with sexual selection and mate choice. To date, my research has worked to integrate the areas of behavior and neuroscience to investigate the potential of variations in mating systems with respect to geographic location.

I, along with CSB and SJU students, have examined variables that contribute to mate-choice decisions including fidelity versus dissolution of a pair bond between individuals (see publications below) and the potential effects on fitness associated with the relatively uninvestigated area of outbreeding depression in mammals. This research was conducted using the prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, as a model species. This research was funded through a National Science Foundation grant.

I recently returned from a research trip to China. I was a member of a four person contingency that worked with researchers and graduate students from the Chinese Academy of Science. Our topic of interest is the sociobiology of a species of vole, the Brandt's vole, that is endemic to grassland habitat in Asia. We conducted our preliminary study at sites in Inner Mongolia (see pictures below). Our group plans to return to China during the summer of 2008 to continue our research. This research experience was funded through CSB/SJU, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Science Foundation.

At the present, I am now looking to continue investigating various parameters associated with mate choice and other topics related to paradigms of sociobiology. Students interested in joining my research group are encouraged to contact me for more information.

Research projects:

Currently, 3 research projects are underway or have just been completed:

Pair bonding and mate fidelity: does previous preference for a mate change through time?

Do females prefer intra- versus interpopulation males?

A mate at the nest: does mom get a break with dad around?

Biographical information:

PhD in Biology, The University of Memphis, 2002

MS in Biology, Mississippi State University, 1994

BS in Biology, Delta State University, 1990

Publications:

Thomas, S. A. 2002. Scent marking and mate choice in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Animal Behaviour, 63, 1121-1127.

Thomas, S. A. & Wolff, J. O. 2002. Scent marking in voles: a reassessment of over marking, counter marking, and self-advertisement. Ethology, 108, 51-62.

Wolff, J. O., Watson, M. H., & Thomas, S. A. 2002. Is self-grooming by male prairie voles a predictor of mate choice? Ethology, 108, 169-179.

Wolff, J. O., Mech, S. G., & Thomas, S. A. 2002. Scent marking in female prairie voles: a test of alternative hypotheses. Ethology, 108, 483-494.

Thomas, S. A. & Kaczmarek, B. K. 2002. Scent-marking behaviour of male prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, in response to the scent of opposite- and same-sex conspecifics. Behavioural Processes, 60, 27-33.

Thomas, S. A. & Wolff, J. O. 2003. Scent marking in rodents: a reappraisal, problems, and future directions. In: Rats, Mice and People: Rodent Biology and Management (Ed by G.R. Singleton, L.A. Hinds, C.J. Krebs & D.M. Spratt), pp 143-147. ACIAR Monograph No. 96, 564 pp.

Thomas, S. A. & Wolff, J. O. 2004. Pair bonding and “the widow effect” in female prairie voles. Behavioural Processes, 67, 47-54.

Wolff, J. O. & Thomas, S. A. Partner preference does not equate to mating fidelity in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Journal of Comparative Psychology, in review.

The lab at work:

Colt Edin, SJU Junior and research student, presented                    Dr. Thomas and Colt (SJU, '07)

the preliminary results of his work at the 2005 meeting                       preparing a mate-choice trial

of the Animal Behavior Society in Snowbird, UT. Colt's

work was received an honorable mention in the Genesis

            program for undergraduate research.

Conducting research with Dr. Wan, CAS;                                     Participating in a workshop with colleagues

       Inner Mongolian research site                                                 and graduate students at the CAS, Beijing

Additional pictures of my adventures

A wallaby and me; CSIRO, Canberra, Australia                                 In a field of daisies; Friedrich Schiller Universität, Jena, Germany

            Rafting the Columbia River; Moab, Utah                                                      Badlands, South Dakota

        Up close and personal with a coati; Monteverdi, Costa Rica                                                            Hiking in Baxter State Park; Maine

            Peking Opera, My favorite concubine; Beijing, China                                                            Terra Cotta Warriors, Qin Dynasty; Xi'an, China

        Climbing the Great Wall, China                                                                        Receiving a traditional blessing; Inner Mongolia